Maryland Women's Basketball At. No. 3 UCLA Preview

Thursday night at USC proved to be a tough one for the No. 12 Maryland Terrapins women's basketball team, as they pulled out a close 62-55 victory. Now they shift their focus to a new task: the No. 3 UCLA Bruins.

One of the country's top squads, UCLA, is in the midst of a 10-game winning streak and has yet to drop a home game this season. They are a juggernaut and will prove to be a challenge, but one that the Terps can pull off behind their offense that averages 85.7 points per game and a defense that only allows 56.7 points per contest

Time to dive into the Bruins side of things....

Game Details

When: Sunday, January 17th

Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, California

Tipoff: 4 p.m. ET

How to watch: NBC

UCLA Key Stats

Record: 16-1 (6-0 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Cori Close

Leading Scorer: Lauren Betts- 16.4 points

Leading Rebounder: Lauren Betts- 8.6 rebounds (5.3 DRPG & 3.3 ORPG)

Leader in Assists: Charlisse Leger-Walker- 6.1 assists

Team Points Per Game: 86.4 (10th nationally)

Team Field Goal %: 51.1 (5th nationally)

Team 3PT FG %: 37.5 (14th nationally)

Team Rebound Margin: +15.6 (2nd nationally)

The Bruins are favored 85.4% to win tomorrow afternoon according to ESPN Analytics.

Players To Watch

UCLA Guard Gianna Kneepkens

Kneepkens averages 13.8 points per game on shooting splits of 50/40/90 on the season. She's a perimeter threat that can cause trouble for the Maryland defense, especially with the attention that Betts will draw in the interior.

Maryland Guard Yarden Garzon

Garzon has been a consistent scoring presence for the Terps' offense this year. She has a good shot that allows her to spot up from deep and stretch defenses. Garzon also distributes the ball well to her teammates and is active on defense.

History vs. UCLA

The two programs have met four times in program history, with the series tied 2-2. The Bruins have won the past two matchups, including a meeting in the 2019 NCAA Tournament.

Final Take

This will be a big test for Brenda Frese and her young squad. They've had to navigate the season, testing their depth with four key injuries, and have fared well, with only two losses. In a matchup of this caliber, you need your more experienced players, such as leading scorer Oluchi Okananwa (16.8 points) and Saylor Poffenbarger, to guide the team on the court.

Maryland needs to pressure UCLA early and fast, drawing their shooters off the three-point line and having them put the ball on the floor, but you have to keep their star player, Betts, off the glass.